ROCKINGHAM — One local group fighting the opioid epidemic will be remembering those lost to overdoses.
Steve’s Wings for Humanity, along with Sandhills Knockerball, is hosting a candlelight vigil Saturday evening, Aug. 31, at the Hitchcock Creek Greenway, off Steele Street, in Rockingham.
Aug. 31 is designated as Overdose Awareness Day.
Those wishing to attend are encouraged to arrive just before 8 p.m., with the vigil starting at dark. A video presentation featuring photos of some of those lost to overdose in Richmond County will be played during the vigil.
“This will give the friends and family a chance to mingle, remember their loved ones, and grieve together in support with other families,” said Steve’s Wings founder Melissa Schoonover.
The vigil was originally scheduled for Aug. 10 as the conclusion to the annual overdose awareness rally, but the event was canceled due to Tropical Storm Debby.
Attendees are invited to bring a lawn chair.
Steve’s Wings for Humanity will also be hosting a Walk for Sobriety from noon-2:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Richmond County Airport.
Cost for the walk is $7 for general admission and $4.50 for those in recovery.
For more information on Steve’s Wings for Humanity, contact Schoonover at 910-417-8740.
The latest statistics from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner show that Richmond County had 29 fentanyl-positive deaths from June 2023-May 2024 for the second-highest rate in the state of 67.8.
Vance County has the highest rate for that time period at 71.2. Scotland and Robeson counties are also among those with the 10 highest rates in the state, along with Edgecombe, Rutherford, Buncombe, Catawba, Burke and Lee.
During that 12-month period, there were 2,891 fentanyl-positive deaths across North Carolina, with a state average of 27 per 100,000.
The OCME reports that there were 218 suspected overdose deaths in the state for the month of July, down from 348 in July of 2023. However, there is no county-specific information included.
According to information presented to the Drug Endangered Family Task Force, a 15-year-old girl died from an overdose in May.
The North Carolina Opioid Dashboard shows that overdoses in Richmond County jumped from seven in 2019 to 27 in 2000. There were 38 and 37 in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The Opioid Dashboard has no data after 2022.
Emergency department visits for overdose also skyrocketed during the same time period: 78 in 2018; 110 in 2019; 153 in 2020; 178 in 2021; 206 in 2022; and 224 in 2023.
By 2023, Richmond County’s overdose rate was more than three times higher than the state average (499.7 to 161.4)
Overdose figures include opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and other drugs.
